


ties that break

by jessicamiriamdrew



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Character Death, Child Death, F/M, Miscarriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 13:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/561686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessicamiriamdrew/pseuds/jessicamiriamdrew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing will ever be the same for Pepper and Tony when a super villain attack puts Pepper in the hospital during her pregnancy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ties that break

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Miscarriage/child death and dealing with the effects on a relationship. Implied alcoholism. This is not a happy story at all.

He doesn’t get the phone call until Pepper is already in the hospital. It had been a set up from the start. Dual attacks were coordinated to split up and distract the Avengers. It’s Phil who figures out what’s going on first. Stark Tower is unprotected and Pepper is alone. By the time Phil gets there, there’s already too much blood.

Mary. She was named Mary. It was an homage to Tony’s mother and a simple first name for their little girl who would grow up with an impressive, hyphenated last name. Mary Potts-Stark. Tony had insisted on running complex genetic calculations to figure out if she’d get red hair or be able to carry a tune. Pepper laughingly told him to stop when JARVIS began predicting princess qualities.

He holds her hand through the entire labor. She cries the whole time and he keeps pushing her hair off her forehead. Tony whispers I love you and he’s not sure she even hears him through the haze of pain. Pepper Potts has always been the pillar of strength in their shared life. He’s been the superhero but she’s the one that gives him the reason to keep living.

They’d made half-serious plans for nurseries and schools. When Tony jokingly suggested a governess, Pepper said they could hire Darcy. That shut that idea down quickly. But they painted the nursery in reds and yellows so Mary would grow up knowing she came from bold, powerful people.

Tony thinks they’ll have to remodel that part of the Tower. He knows he’ll never be able to go there again without thinking of their little girl. He tells JARVIS to seal it off from the rest of the building immediately. There won’t be any more joy there.

Natasha fills in for Tony any second that he has to step away from Pepper. He’s immensely grateful for that, the way Natasha and he have somehow been friends all along. She brings Pepper comfort that he can’t and it brings a lump to his throat to see the two of them together. He comes back from a short nap to find Pepper asleep, hands clasped in Natasha’s while she murmurs what Tony knows has to be a lullaby.

He tells himself that this will get better. Eventually the world will stop feeling so empty for the both of them. He tries to fill it with expensive foods and gifts because time isn’t going quickly enough to soothe the heartbreak. 

Pepper’s eyes are broken and empty. The first night she’s released from the hospital, she asks him to sleep in a different room. He stays up the whole night drinking because he knows the whole thing is his fault. If he wasn’t Iron Man, if he’d paid more attention, if he’d been better. If he’d been able to protect his family.

When morning comes, he’s recovering from his binge and more disgusted with himself than ever. He showers and brushes his teeth and then goes back to their bedroom. They spend the day wrapped around each other crying. She doesn’t mention the alcohol. He pretends he doesn’t see the plane ticket on the bedside table.

Tony isn’t surprised when she leaves during the night but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. She’s still running the company, of course, dependable as always. He goes into his lab and smashes the jewelry he’d purchased to give her after a happy delivery. Slivers of emeralds and rubies and diamonds coat the workspace. He thinks he might order ten more identical sets to destroy.

What he does instead is donate ten million dollars to every neonatal intensive care unit in the city. Maybe this will make the difference to another family. It eases the hole inside of him for a few moments until the pain returns in all of its blinding intensity.

Pepper doesn’t answer any of his calls. She redirects her number to her secretary who apologizes every time he calls. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, but Ms. Potts asked not to be disturbed.” He could override the entire telecommunication system before she finishes her coffee.

Tony doesn’t do it. He settles for looking at a picture of the two of them from the party where they told their friends. He holds the ultrasound photo in one hand and chokes on a sob. These photos are all he has left of Mary.

He should have known better than to believe in superheroes saving the day.


End file.
